IQOS Approved By FDA

FDA Approves IQOS

The cigarette alternative marketing is heating up in the US. According to the New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of IQOS, pronounced EYE-kose, from Phillip Morris. This would be the first “heat not burn” tobacco device available in the United States.

The IQOS has proven to be very popular in Japan, where it
faces no competition due to an e-cigarette ban, but it remains to be seen how
it is able to compete in a competitive vaping market. If groundless concerns
about the sweet
flavors preferred by adult vapers, Juul mint is the top flavor among
minors, then the IQOS will be in a strong strategic position. It will be hard
for even the popular Juul to compete head to head if the only ejuices at their
disposal are also tobacco flavored.

Phillip Morris had hoped to be able to market the IQOS as
being less harmful than cigarettes, but the status of this medical claim is
still pending. But opening up the US market is still a huge victory for the
tobacco giant.

IQOS Device

The IQOS works differently than e-cigarettes, which vaporize
a suspension of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin with added nicotine. As
described by Phillip
Morris, IQOS instead heats actual tobacco to a point where vapor is
released but combustion does not occur. This is up to 350 degrees Celsius. This
is significantly less than the 600°C plus temperatures that occur in a
combustible cigarette.

The key to this process are specially designed tobacco
cartridges known as HEETS or HeatSticks.
The cartridge includes a plug of tobacco, a polymer filter, a cellulose acetate
mouthpiece filter and outer end papers to replicate the smoking experience.

The HeatStick is then inserted into the holder, which uses
an electronically controlled heating blade to generate the nicotine vapor. The
HeatStick is heated for six minutes or 14 puffs. After this time elapses, the
small battery requires recharging, although there is an integrated
IQOS that only requires charging after ten consecutive uses.

As far as appearance, the actual IQOS device resembles a
vape pen with a cigarette butt inserted where the mouthpiece would normally be.
The IQOS pocket charger is lozenge shaped and resembles a cigarette case.

IQOS and the Vaping Market

According to Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog, the FDA
decision is a “big win” and by 2025 the projected sales are $4.5 billion. What
remains to be seen is if IQOS sales will cannibalize Juul sales. Wall Street
certainly appreciated the approval. Last week, Altria stocks tumbled
after Juul sales had stagnated. Their stock price tumbled from $54.71 to
$51.41 on April 24th. As of the writing of this article, their
shares are back up to $54.33.

Altria is positioning themselves for market dominance and hope to take advantage of regulatory headwinds. Currently, the biggest challenge Juul faces from a technological standpoint are the innovative refillable vape pod systems. These devices are also optimized for nicotine salts but offer you the freedom to pick from thousands flavors.

IQOS and Juul Challengers

Refillable vape pods also work with lower nicotine freebase ejuices, the classic style of e-juice that dominated until recently. We reviewed the top ten Juul alternatives to rank the best refillable, also known as open, vape pod systems.

E-Cig Laws Would Eliminate Big Tobacco’s Rivals

The easiest way to defang the threat posed by smaller ejuice makers and rival device manufacturers would be to ban flavors. This way, Juul’s limited selection of ejuices would no longer be detrimental. Predictably, Altria is in favor of an e-cig flavor ban. The easiest way to win the war for consumers is to eliminate the competition with a stroke of the pen.

Few of the small ejuice manufacturers have the financial
wherewithal to survive having their entire business model decimated by an
ill-advised flavor ban. One of the greatest misconceptions about the vaping
industry is that sweet and fruit flavored ejuices were designed to hook kids.
The science simply does not back up this “fruit flavor fallacy”. It is one of
several zombie
vaping myths that refuse to die.

The fact is that Juul mint is the top flavor for minors, and the Juul device is greatly preferred by teenagers. Most of the colorfully packaged flavors that are vilified in the media are for the traditional mods and e-cigs used by adults. Retro ejuice packaging targets adults, although the wisdom of making ejuice packaging that resembles an edible food package and trade dress concerns are certainly debatable.

On paper, this makes sense. Most underage vapers get their devices through social contacts, and a number of high schoolers are of legal age to purchase vaping devices. The primary argument against this act is the 26th Amendment. Is it fair that someone can serve for the nation and not purchase cigarettes. He anticipated this complaint and there might be an exception for active duty military.

Strict E-Cig Laws Punish Marginalized Groups

More than the vaping industry’s future is at stake. Strict e-cig
laws punish marginalized groups. The African American, LGBTQ plus, and
rural populations are disproportionately impacted when access to smoking
alternatives is impeded and even denied.

This is how you end up with a situation like the San Francisco e-cig ban. The city’s humane harm reduction are legendary. Addicts are provided needle exchanges, safe injection sites and extensive medical benefits. Yet this same compassion is not extended to smokers, including the disproportionately high number that identify as LGBTQ+.

Vape Pod Ban

The FDA is a bit more science based. Former FDA Commissioner
Scott Gottlieb freely concedes that nicotine products exist on a continuum of
harm, and that it would probably be beneficial if all smokers switched to
vaping.

He also identified Juul as being the product preferred by today’s
teenagers, rather than fixating on packaging that appeals to someone who was a
teenager in the Reagan-era and doesn’t realize that youth preferences have
changed. This is why Gottlieb is on record saying that the FDA is considering a
Juul and vape pod ban. Specifically, closed vape pods like the Juul and Vuse
Alto. We compared these two vape pod heavyweights in a comparison test, Juul vs. Vuse Alto.

An interesting side note, the UK promotes vaping as an
alternative to smoking and has far fewer restrictions. With one exception. They
cap the nicotine level at 2 percent. A Juul or Vuse Alto have a nicotine level
of 5 percent. And the teen vaping rate is much lower in the UK. Comparing
vaping in the UK, Australia and US provides interesting insights into what
is really the catalyst of the teen vaping epidemic.

Future of IQOS

Will IQOS prove to be as big of a game changer? They will
have an almost open playing field if flavors are banned and the independent
vaping industry is destroyed. If the only flavors IQOS has to compete with are
tobacco, then it will probably be a smash hit.

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